Eva's Tarot Reading

So, I had a little contest this week for readathon, giving away to any of my regular readers a late night tarot reading on a topic of their choice. Originally the winner was the inestimable Ms Debi, but, wonderful saint that she is, she abdicated her prize, and gave it to Ms Eva, sort of as a thank you for all the hard work she's been doing for the readathon (yay Ms Debi! yay Ms Eva!). So, here goes!

I was originally going to videotape this, much like I videotaped the one for Mr Chris that I will also be posting tonight. However, since Ms Eva said she had no preference, and my sonorous (ie, loud) tones were likely to prevent my beloved wife from taking a little mid-readathon nap, I'm going to go ahead and give you a written reading, instead. I've never actually done this, and to warn you, I get pretty long-winded, and I know next to nothing about my topic, because it's about romance, and Amanda was the first woman I dated, and I did a botchy job even of that. But, I'll do the best I can :).

So, let's go ahead and start, I shuffled, and Ms Eva, in your absence, I cut the deck, here is your spread:



Just a general observation, to start with, I thought it was interesting, all of your cards are upside down except two - one of those being the card signifying the past, the other being the impediment to your finding love. As a general rule, this can mean a few things: either the question does not deserve your full energies, or that your question is not quite the right question to ask, as it were. More on that on the last card.

So, let's start at the beginning and move forward. The card in the center, which signifies who you are in the situation, is the Knight of Cups, reversed. This Knights generally signify gallantry and courage, but also a quickness of action and impetuousness - they are, sort of, the card of adolescence, when you have much more energy, and still have the ability to dream larger than 'grownups', but also the raw emotion of that energy that can be problematic. I find this particularly interesting, because you drew the Cups, which being the quintesentially 'feminine' suit are connected very strongly with Love. People who are actively, desperately seeking love, for instance, will often have a very knight of cups attitude - a great depth of emotion, and a headstrong willfulness in applying that energy to whoever comes handy. You, however, have the card in reverse, which would imply one of two things: either you are supressing some natural desire for love and companionship, that may bubble up in uncomfortable and unpredictable ways, or that you simply are not interested in love, actively - the idea is nice, in a calm, dreamy sort of way, but it's just not that important to you. Either of these could be valid.

The card is particularly interesting with the next two cards: The Emperor, which is your impediment card (that which is opposing you in the question), and the King of Cups, which is your past. Cups, being again a feminine suit, are most strongly typified in the Queen of Cups - the Aphrodite card, as it were (I drew it yesterday for Chris in a very significant position). The King of Cups, rather, is the urge to put a check on these passions. Your past, your growing up, etc, have taught you how to face the ideas of love with a reasonable, even-handed psyche. This has it's advantages and disadvantages, of course, something which connects to the Emperor - the Emperor is one of only two Major ARcana (ie, really important) cards you drew in this spread, and acts as the quintessence of the rule-giver, or in classical ideas, the 'father'. In Love, the father, stereotypically, is teh jealous protector, the guardian of his daughter's honor, who works against the suitor, to make sure he does not succeed to easily, that he proves his worth, etc. In you, this card (particularly in connection with the King of Cups) has become deeply ingrained in who you are. You're too smart to just be stupid about something as important as love, and as the sanctity of the self. You are your own censor, when it comes to love - which naturally leads to the position of the Knight of Cups, we mentioned earlier. As a child, you learned to view love from a reasonable place, to guard and protect yourself, and this has put you in a place where you are not vulnerable to the 'temptations' of love.

Vulnerability, of course, is a funny thing, something which you see in the Queen of Swords. Right side up, the Queen of Swords is akin to Diana - the Huntress Virgin Goddess (also one of my very most favorite, and beautiful cards!). Reversed, however, we are presented with warnings alongside of praise: The Queen of Swords as it once independent and lonely. The Queen of Swords reversed, particularly in a love reading, is something like Diana without the love of her nymphs. She is simply alone. Wise, safe, and very alone.

Above you, you have the forces that are around you in this question, those forces being the 8 of wands, reversed. The 8 of wands right side up is the card of change, while reversed, it talks about rigidity and ossification. The situations in which you are living are slowly ossifying - this is a natural result of growing up, to some extent, of course, as we find who we are, and settle into our identities, as we mature, the world around us settles into an identity as well, and becomes what it is, to some extent. Inside of you, have the force of the Knight of Swords, reversed. The knight of swords is the force of pure chivalry, the true, classic knight, as it were. Reversed, however, you have the darker aspects of knighthood - inflexibility, rigidity, and cold reserve.

I guess that sounds bad. I don't think it's ALL bad, and I think the side cards will clarify that somewhat.

Usually, the cross itself is the direct answer to your question - it is situational. The side cards are predictive - vague, but powerful.

In the bottom, then, you see the person you are - and Strength reversed is a really interesting card here, because it implies a desire to control outcomes by force of will - to make sure that the right thing happens to you, as it were. The VII of cups, in terms of being the world around you, especially your friends and family, is probably the most interesting card in this spread to me: Right side up, the VII of cups is the traveller who has the gifts of love and beauty, but who continues to travel, and does not rest on his/her laurels. Upside down, however, it implies looking the wrong way for what is in front of your face. In terms of the question you are asking, then, the cards say, that what it is you really want is right in front of you - just not in the sense that you're looking for it. On the one hand, this could mean that you have what you need without looking for a 'significant other' - that romance is just simply not that important, and that the search for it will distract you from the beautiful love you already have in the world. On the other, it might imply that action is inaction - that searching for love drives it away, that it needs to be waited for, and found spontaneously in the midst of good, loving life.

This ties in nicely with the hopes and fears card - the Ace of Swords being the quintessence of it's suit, it calls to mind the two other swords you have, saying that, reversed, there is a part of you that worries, that you don't know how to be safe and to seek out love at the same time, and that you're afraid that prudence will turn to timidity, or that you will have to give up prudence altogether.

But, the PAge of Wands, in the position of gentle whisperer (the card that whispers in your ear the thing you coudl not ask) says that, perhaps, this isn't really the question to ask. Reading this card is always a sticky business, but if I were to hazard a guess, it would be this:

We live in a society that naturally tells us (especially women) that one of the duties of life is to seek out and find someone else, that 'significant other' that your question indicts. The implication is that we are not truly complete until we find the one that completes us. The Page of Wands typifies this, the wnaderer who goes out journeying after something, but who is seeking in the wrong place. Love is the spontaneous gift of a world that we make more beautiful by living. Living beautifully produces love in the same way that planting seeds produces crops - naturally, and humbly, perhaps mroe floridly if forced or teased, but more strongly and with a certain homely, healthy grace if left with the gentle care of a steward. OVerall, your cards seem to point to a problem in the question - either you need to stop looking for love, and wait for love to come, or you need to stop taking men up and examining them so closely - you must learn to love less reasonably, and more organically. Either way could be true. OR something else altogether. HEaven knows I'm not that talented of a card reader :).